59
Mike reviewed the lab report regarding the analysis of the stain the tech had lifted from the back door of the Chapman home. It was blood. The sample had then been compared to Kerry’s DNA, and produced a match. It was definitely Kerry’s blood.
Armed with Tony Carter’s statement that Jamie told him he had gone swimming with Kerry after her party, and having found Kerry’s blood on the back door of the Chapman home, Mike applied for a search warrant. It was granted immediately.
The day had become overcast. The breeze was unusually cool for a September morning. Mike, who loved to go golfing, hoped that this would not be an indication of an early onset of cold weather.
With Andy Nerlino at his side and the search warrant in hand, he rang the front doorbell of the Chapman home. Almost immediately, it was answered. Marge was wearing an apron over a pair of old slacks with bleach marks. She looked startled to see them.
“Mrs. Chapman, you might remember me. My name is Mike Wilson. I’m a detective with the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office. This is my colleague Detective Andy Nerlino.”
“Of course I remember you. I’m embarrassed. I’m dressed to clean my house. I didn’t know you were coming.”
“It’s all right, Mrs. Chapman,” Mike said. “You’re absolutely fine the way you are. I must inform you that we have obtained a warrant from a judge to search your home. Here’s your copy.”
Stunned as she looked down at the document, Marge said, “I don’t get it. Why on earth would you want to search my home?”
Mike replied, “It’s in connection with our investigation of Kerry Dowling’s murder. And while we’re here, we want to speak to both you and your son Jamie. Is he home?”
Her mouth dry, Marge said, “He’s upstairs in his room watching TV.”
“Detective Nerlino will stay with you here. I’m going upstairs to speak to Jamie.”
“Oh, no,” Marge said. “Jamie might get upset. I think I should be with him when he speaks to you.”
“Your son Jamie is twenty years old. Is that correct?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Then he is legally an adult. I’m going to talk to him alone,” Mike said as he headed toward the stairs.
Marge reached out her hand as if to stop him. Then she sighed nervously, and walked to the couch. The vacuum cleaner was on the rug. Her foot brushed against it as she sat down. There was a dust cloth and furniture polish on the table. Almost unconsciously, she picked them up and put them down next to the vacuum.
“You remind me of my mother,” Andy said. “She goes through the house once a week. There isn’t a spot left in it when she’s finished. I can tell you’re like her.”
Marge moistened her lips. “I guess I am. I want to go upstairs and be with Jamie.”
“In a little while Detective Wilson will be finished. I’m sorry, but I have to insist that you stay here.”
• • •
Mike knocked on Jamie’s half-closed door. As he pushed it open, he said, “Hi, Jamie, I’m Mike Wilson. Do you remember me?”
Jamie was sprawled across his bed. The movie Ace Ventura: Pet Detective was playing in the background. “You work in Hackensack,” Jamie said proudly.
“That’s right, Jamie. I’m a detective. My office is in Hackensack. Would it be okay if the TV is off when we’re talking?”
“Sure. It’s a tape. I can watch it whenever I want,” Jamie said as he got up and hit the power button on the TV. He went back to his bed and sat on it.
“I like watching movies,” Mike said. “Do you?”
“Yes, Mom buys tapes and DVDs for my birthday.”
“Your mom is very nice.”
“She loves me, and I love her.”
“Jamie, do you remember the last time I came and talked to you in your room?”
Jamie nodded.
“You told me Kerry had gone to Heaven.”
“She’s there with my dad.”
“And I told you that the police and Kerry’s parents are trying to find out what happened to Kerry before she went to Heaven.”
“I remember.”
“That’s great, Jamie. I’ll bet you’re really good at remembering things.”
Jamie smiled.
“I want you to remember the night Kerry had her party, the night she went to Heaven. I asked if you had seen Kerry in her backyard cleaning up after the party. You know what you told me?”
Mike took out his small notebook and read. You said, “I did not go swimming with Kerry.”
“I’m not allowed to talk about this,” Jamie said, looking down and avoiding eye contact with Mike.
“Why not, Jamie?”
When he didn’t answer, Mike asked, “Who told you you can’t talk about this?”
“My mom said it’s a secret. You’re not supposed to tell secrets.”
Mike paused for a moment. “Jamie, your mom said it was okay for me to come up to your room and talk to you. Do you know what else she said?”
“No,” he answered as he shook his head.
“She said it’s okay for you to tell me the secret. She even told me part of the secret. She said the night of Kerry’s party you didn’t stay in your room. You went outside. She said you can tell me the rest of the secret.”
“Okay,” Jamie said softly. “Kerry lets me go swimming with her. She went swimming after her party. I wanted to go swimming, so I went over her house.”
“Was Kerry in her pool when you went over?”
“Yes.”
“Did you talk to Kerry when you went over?”
“Yes.”
“What did you say?”
“I said, ‘Kerry, it’s Jamie. Let’s go swimming.’ ”
“Jamie, try to remember. This is important. Did Kerry answer you?”
“She said, ‘I can’t.’ ”
“Kerry told you, ‘I can’t go swimming’?”
“She was sleeping in the water.”
“Jamie, did you go in the water with Kerry?”
Jamie started to tear up. “I got my new sneakers and my pants wet.”
“Did you touch Kerry when she was in the pool?”
Jamie held his hand in the air as if shaking someone. “I said ‘Kerry, wake up, wake up.’ ”
“What did Kerry say?”
“She was still sleeping in the water.”
“Jamie, you’re doing a really good job at remembering. I have a few more questions. So Kerry kept sleeping in the pool. What did you do then?”
“My sneakers and pants were all wet. I came home and went up to my room.”
“Where was your mom when you came home?”
“She was sleeping in her chair.”
“Where is her chair?”
“In the living room.”
“Did you talk to your mom?”
“No. She was sleeping.”
“Okay, what did you do when you went to your room?”
“I took off my sneakers and socks and pants. I hid them on the floor of my closet.”
“Why did you hide them?”
“Because they were all wet. My sneakers are new. I’m not supposed to get them wet.”
Mike stopped for a moment. The information provided by Tony Carter appears to be accurate.
“Jamie, do you know what a golf club is?”
“Mr. Dowling has one.”
“The night you went swimming with Kerry after the party, did you see a golf club?”
“I put it on the chair.”
“Jamie,” Mike said while glancing down at his notebook, “when I came to see you last time, you said you weren’t invited to the party. You were older. It was only for the high school kids. Do you remember that?”
“Yes,” he said, while looking down.
“When people don’t get invited to parties, sometimes they get angry. Were you mad at Kerry when she didn’t invite you?”
“I’m her friend.”
“I know that Jamie, and sometimes friends can hurt our feelings. When she didn’t invite you, were you mad at Kerry?”
“I was sad.”
“What do you do when you’re sad?”
“I go to my room and watch tapes and DVDs.”
Mike decided to change course. “Jamie, do you know Alan Crowley?”
“My mom and I saw him on TV. He kissed Kerry and went home.”
“Then what happened, Jamie?”
“Big Guy hit her and pushed her in the pool.”
“Do you know who Big Guy is?”
Jamie smiled broadly. “My dad called me Big Guy.”
“Jamie, did you hit Kerry?”
“No.”
“Did you push her in the pool?”
“No. Big Guy did.”
“Jamie, are you Big Guy?”
“Yes.”
“Are you the Big Guy who hit Kerry and pushed her in the pool?”
“I’m Big Guy. Big Guy hit Kerry and pushed her in the pool.”
“Jamie, you’re a Big Guy. Is there anybody else who’s a Big Guy?”
There were footsteps on the stairs. Marge pushed open the door and came in, with Nerlino trailing behind her. “You have no right to keep me away from my son,” she said.
She went over and sat beside Jamie. “Are you all right, dear?”
“I told him the secret. You said it was all right.”
Marge’s glare at Mike Wilson was steely.
Mike stood up. “Mrs. Chapman, as I told you earlier, we have a warrant to search these premises.” He looked at Jamie’s feet. “Are those your new sneakers, Jamie?”
“Yes. Do you like them?”
“Yes, I do. I’m going to need to borrow them for a few days.”
“That’s okay,” Jamie said. While looking at his mother for approval, he removed his sneakers.
“Jamie, do you remember what clothes you were wearing the night you went swimming with Kerry after her party?”
“Yes, I do. My mom bought the shirt for me.”
“Can I see it?”
“Sure,” Jamie said as he walked over to the dresser and opened and closed two drawers. “Mom bought it in Disneyworld,” he said proudly as he unfolded it and showed it to the detective.
“Do you remember which pants you wore when you went in the pool with Kerry?”
Jamie appeared confused as he looked in his closet. “I have a lot of pants.”
“That’s okay, Jamie. So that’s the shirt you wore in the pool when you went swimming with Kerry?”
“Yes,” he said smiling. “It’s dry now.”
“Did you wash it, Jamie?”
“No, my mom did.”
Tony Carter had said that on the Sunday morning he and Jamie talked at the Acme, Jamie had told him that he wasn’t wearing his new sneakers because they had gotten wet.
“Jamie, this is Detective Nerlino. Would you bring the shirt and sneakers downstairs? He’s going to give you a bag to put them in.”
“Okay,” Jamie said as he followed Nerlino out of the room.
When they were alone, Marge went on the defensive. “You can ask Father Frank. I was planning to call the police and tell them what Jamie saw. The lawyer Father Frank got for Jamie and me is in Atlanta. I was going to talk to you after I spoke to him in two days. Father Frank is going with me to see the lawyer. Then we can talk.”
“Mrs. Chapman, let me be clear. Are you saying that you and Jamie have an attorney?”
“Yes, we have one.”
“It’s your right to have one.”
“I want to talk to him before Jamie or I talk any more to you.”
“Okay. There will be no more questions today, but we will be executing the search warrant.”
Jamie yelled from downstairs. “It was okay to tell them our secret, right, Mom?”
“Yes, Jamie, it was all right,” Marge called back.
Her tone was weary, and she was short of breath as she came down the stairs.
The phone rang. It was Father Frank. “Marge, I’m just calling to check in and make sure you are okay.”